by RevContent | Jul 1, 2016 | HVAC Contractor
Your heating and cooling appliances help keep your home comfortable throughout the year, but without regular inspection and maintenance, they can become a threat to your family’s safety. These tips can help you keep on top of necessary maintenance and the professional attention these appliances need to remain safe and efficient all year round. Maintain Your Heating and Cooling Systems In addition to boosting your energy efficiency and, thus, saving you money during operation, proper maintenance can help prevent common safety issues with a heating and cooling systems. Here are some basic tasks you need to stay on top of: Clean and replace the air filter regularly. Clogged filters can result in toxic carbon monoxide fumes leaking into your home. Replace furnace filters once every three months and AC filters once per month during the summer. Clear blockages and debris. Remove weeds and overgrowth within a 2-foot radius of your HVAC unit and have your technician check for blocked or faulty pressure release valves on your boiler. Prevent electrical fires. You can inspect all of your electrical cords for fraying or cuts and ensure none of them are buried beneath rugs or furniture. Plug window AC units directly into a wall, never an extension cord. And make sure your technician checks for loose connections — these can be dangerous and often occur with the natural heat expansion and contraction in heat pump units. Use a surge protector. In the event of a power surge, this device will shut down your heating and cooling unit to prevent damage to the system. Keep Your Family Safe Kids and pets need to be kept away from...
by RevContent | Jun 17, 2016 | HVAC Contractor
The summer heat can bring on the budget blues when it starts to reflect on your electrical bill. The best way to keep your costs down and your home comfortable is to stay on top of bi-annual HVAC maintenance. Doing so helps your unit last longer and provides you with greater energy efficiency, reducing its cost of operation. Here is a list of maintenance tasks you should perform this summer to save energy and save some money. Clean or Replace Your Air Filter Tackling this maintenance task alone can reduce energy use by as much as 15 percent. It’s recommended that you replace your air filter monthly during the summer. Use a Programmable Thermostat Replacing your thermostat to a programmable one allows you to take advantage of the times when the house can stand to be warmer, such as when it’s empty or at night, in order to be more efficient. Invest in a smart thermostat that you can communicate with via a cellphone app so you can cool your house ahead of your early arrival. Keep any heat-producing appliances away from the thermostat, including TVs and lamps. Don’t Fiddle Speaking of thermostats, set the temperature to your comfort zone and no lower. Contrary to popular belief, a lower setting will not cool your home any faster. Take Advantage of the Night If you live in a place that gets cold at night, take advantage the chilled air by opening windows in the evening to ventilate the home. Remember to close windows when you wake up to seal in the cooler air accumulated overnight. Open Vents, Seal Windows Closed air vents...
by RevContent | May 19, 2016 | HVAC Contractor
Even though it might be apparent that an air duct cleaning would be good for the health of an HVAC system, homeowners tend to put it off when the immediate benefits seem low. It’s often not until the AC is running around the clock that cleaning the ducts is given thought, and that’s months after the idle dust from the winter hiatus have been pumped into your home. To help push the cleanliness of your air ducts to its proper position on your list of household tasks, just think of how a pristine pathway for your HVAC system’s hard efforts will reduce your energy consumption and your utility bills. Reduced Cost of Maintenance The most insidious source of AC system malfunctions is the small particulates that float through the household air and gather inside the air ducts. Eventually, these granules of terror can make their way into more sensitive equipment and physically inhibit their operation. These parts will work harder, generate more heat and have a much higher likelihood of suffering a major malfunction. Wiping out all of the dust collected inside the airways can keep the levels low enough to avoid excess strain on the equipment. Replacing a single compressor can cost more than $1,000 for parts and labor, so anything that can be done to avoid injuring this vital component should be given priority. You won’t have to replace your air filter as often, either! Improves Efficiency of the AC System While small and light, dust is still substantially more solid than the mixture of gasses and liquids that run through your AC. When the fuzz starts...
by RevContent | May 5, 2016 | HVAC Contractor
An air conditioner can seem like an almost magical device. Just run a current of electricity through it and the fans and coils start working together to blast away the overbearing heat of a midday sun on a summer day. All of this is possible through the manipulation of the physical properties of the refrigerants that run through the veins of the AC system. What Is Refrigerant? The term “refrigerant” refers to any substance that uses an ability to easily undergo phase transitions to siphon heat from another substance. Over the years, dozens of different materials have been used, each assigned a designation (noted R-Number) to keep track of their properties. For in-home and office air conditioning, the refrigerant of choice has been R-22, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) named Chlorodifluoromethane. This has recently been replaced by R-401a, a mixture of R-22 with R-152a and R-124, which has less impact on the environment. The total range of possible refrigerants even includes familiar names like carbon dioxide and ammonia. Each AC unit is designed to operate with a specific refrigerant, although some interchangeability does exist. How Does the Refrigerant Work Inside an AC? The refrigerant is first put under pressure by a compressor, shifting it into a liquid state. As it passes through the compressor, it also serves as a lubricant. It then passes by the outside air where it emits heat before coming into contact with the evaporator coil. The refrigerant morphs back into a gas and replenishes its heat supply from the air surrounding the coil. The now chilly air is guided into the nearby room or ductwork where it cools your building. Do...
by RevContent | Apr 21, 2016 | Uncategorized
With warmer weather settling in and spring just around the corner, it might soon be time to fire up your AC system. Beat the heat and give Metro Comfort Systems a call for all of your HVAC needs or AC repair. To keep you cool all spring and summer long, we have listed nine tips to keep your air conditioning running strong. Upgrade to a Digital Thermostat Digital thermostats are more efficient than analog thermostats. Manual adjustments on an analog thermostat cause unnecessary wear and tear on your air conditioning system. Regularly Change Your Filter Regular filter changes — every one to three months — are a simple way to keep your air conditioning running at maximum efficiency. Check the filter monthly to start off, and replace it as needed to figure out how often it needs to be changed. Schedule Annual Service You want to make sure your air conditioning is working before the hottest days of the year come around, so schedule annual maintenance with us and receive a 10 percent discount on parts. Don’t Plant Too Close to Your AC Unit The unit needs room to breathe, so don’t let plants grow too close to it. Fences and covers directly on the unit can also be harmful to its air circulation. Keep Your Outdoor Unit Clean Spray down your outdoor air conditioning unit with a garden house to clean out any dirt or grime buildup that could be slowing the unit down. Keep Returns and Vents Clear Vents or returns closed off by furniture or other large objects can harm your air conditioning’s efficiency. Try rearranging your furniture for something different and keep...
by RevContent | Apr 7, 2016 | Uncategorized
The weather is heating up, and air conditioners across the country will soon be working to fight against it. Before you turn yours on after its winter break, work through this 5-step checklist for HVAC maintenance. 1. Check the Condensing Fan All of the air that runs through your AC system begins at the condensing fans, so you should follow suit in your checklist. For condensers on the ground, the vegetation that was cut to clear space for it may have crept back around it over the past year. If it has, make sure to give it a trim. If you feel comfortable looking deeper into the fan, you can inspect the interior for signs of fungus or mold that have a tendency to grow around the relatively damp and warm environment around the coils and wiring. 2. Inspect and Replace Your Filters Even if you switched out your air filters at the beginning of winter and haven’t turned on the AC since then, they are still working along with the other functions of the HVAC system. Replace the air filters so the captured airborne particles and bacteria don’t smash through the filter when the AC turns on. 3. Inspect the Thermostat The first thing to check on the thermostat is the batteries. If you’re not certain when they were replaced last, then assume it’s time for a fresh set of batteries. A battery energy reader can take away the guesswork if you’re unsure. You can also consider swapping to rechargeable batteries. That way a few hours in the charger each year will ensure your thermostat is ready to...
by RevContent | Mar 24, 2016 | Furnace
While many homeowners spend a lot of time calculating the right BTUs required to keep their home warm all winter long, some still overlook the importance of the right furnace blower. Choosing between a single speed furnace and a variable speed furnace is tricky, but it’s worth figuring out before you order your next set of furnace upgrades. Consider the benefits and requirements for each type of blower to match the right equipment to your home. Single Speed Blowers As the name suggests, single speed blowers are either on or off and run at maximum speed when on. This gets the air moving around your house, but it doesn’t work as well when you’ve got dozens of small rooms, multiple floors or a zoned heating system. You’ll also notice a louder rush of air when these blowers start up. They are the most affordable option, and many furnaces feature single speed blowers as a standard feature. You’ll spend more over the life of the single speed blower on electricity to keep it blowing because it runs at its maximum power draw every time it switches on, unlike models with more in-depth controls. Two-Stage Units A simple upgrade to a dual-speed blower fan is well worth the cost of calling an HVAC contractor to handle the installation. With a high and low setting, you can better control how quickly each part of the home heats up. Most models integrate with the thermostat for automatic speed switching, and many two-stage blowers can be used for continuous air circulation. This is a technique in which you keep the blower fans running constantly...
by RevContent | Mar 10, 2016 | Furnace
For many homeowners, the heating bill is one of the most expensive utilities they pay. Heating costs can take up to 35 percent of a family’s annual utility bill. With fuel and energy prices so volatile, many families have decided to invest their remodeling dollars into high-efficiency heating systems that are advertised as a great way to save both fuel and money. Before making this investment, however, it’s important to understand what you’re actually getting for your money. In some cases, these systems cost hundreds or thousands of dollars more than “traditional” or mid-efficiency heating systems. That has caused many consumers to wonder if they’re really getting a good return on their investment. There are actually two ways to measure the efficiency of a heating system. Understanding how these measurement systems work will help you to determine the best heating system for your home and family. Steady-State Efficiency One of the most common methods of determining the actual efficiency of a heating system is to look at its steady-state efficiency. Steady-state efficiency is a measure of the usable heat created by a heating system. In order to create heat, all furnaces burn fuel. As long as that fuel is the same from furnace to furnace, it’s going to produce nearly identical levels of heat. How that heat is pumped through the house and how much of it is lost to the surrounding environment, however, can determine its steady-state efficiency. When computing this figure, a lot more than just the ductwork in the house comes into account. Furnaces that need to turn on and off more often tend to be less...
by RevContent | Feb 25, 2016 | HVAC Contractor
Life is too short to spend fiddling with things when there is a product to do it for you. That includes your HVAC system. New technology is making it possible to to monitor and control everything from your thermostat to your air filtering system by pre-setting your desired temperature and letting the technology take care of itself. Consider these options for making your life easier and getting the most out of your HVAC system. Humidity-Sensing Fans When summer heat strikes, high humidity levels can make you feel hot and sticky and pose a risk of mold and mildew in your home. The good news is that by installing humidity-sensing fans, you can relax as they handle the situation on their own. These fans detect a rapid increase in humidity and turn on automatically to exhaust the moisture. Whether the boost in moisture is the result of long showers, steaming veggies in the kitchen or just natural humidity, the humidity-sensing fan has your back. Ventilation New technology has produced smart ventilation systems that automatically adjust to the needs of your home. It is attached to all fans in the home with one fan designated as the master fan. It automatically monitors fan use and adjusts the system to maintain proper ventilation. It even works independently to control all fans in the home to create optimal ventilation throughout your living space. This system improves indoor air quality and makes your home more comfortable. Energy Management Systems Although it may sound a little like science fiction, technology now allows you to connect all your systems to monitor and control energy use. These wireless systems...
by RevContent | Feb 11, 2016 | Uncategorized
Being concerned about the environment and doing what you can to protect it shows your commitment to bettering the planet. That applies to your heating and cooling systems too. There are a number of new technologies for your HVAC system that make it even easier to show your concern. Watch for these green tech options in your location soon. Hot Water Recirculators These devices work to heat the water as you need it and eliminate the need for wasting energy heating an entire tank of water, but they go a step further than typical on-demand water heaters. Recirculating hot water heaters divert cold water back to the water heater so you always have hot water when you need it without wasting cold water. Green Air Conditioning Thermally-Driven Chillers: This technology takes advantage of the sun’s energy to produce cool air. It uses solar panels to collect the rays from the sun to power a double-chiller system that is reported to be more effective than air conditioners that rely on electricity. When the supply of solar energy runs short, the chiller automatically switches to natural gas as a fuel source. Ice-Powered: This technology uses frozen blocks of ice to power your air conditioning. The system freezes 450 gallons of ice during the night and uses it to cool the air during the day. The frozen water provides cooling for about 6 hours and then reverts to your traditional air conditioning system. Green Heat Pumps Geothermal Heat Pumps: Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the heat found inside the earth. Looped pipes are placed under the ground. When fluid is forced through...
Recent Comments